Fareway is great if you just want to grab a few simple things. Fareway has better prices overall but if you compare their standard food items, they are pretty close. People tend to spend more at Hy-Vee because they have more expensive options. I prefer the employees at Fareway and I'm a previous Hy-Vee employee.
Hy-Vee has a ton more selection of everything. They have a better bakery, they have better specialty meets, they have better cheese island, they have better produce, and the few that I go to have 10x the craft beer selection (Some fareways have gotten better). The types of meat I buy are the same at Costco, Fareway, Hy-Vee, etc.
Hy-Vee delivery is terrible. My wife has used it since the day it came out. Now she pays some yearly charge for it and it's still a joke. They always get things wrong, there are always missing items that she paid for, they send her texts to ask about substitutions even though she puts "no substitutions".
With all of that said, most areas of the country don't have two top notch grocery stores like Iowa. Publix in florida is ok overall and there is a good one in Texas (I think it's H.E.B). I've been to a lot of states and there are a lot of ****** grocery chains.